The Savannah tribune. [volume] (Savannah [Ga.]) 1876-1960, 1887-09-10
LOUISIANA AND LoUIsIANIANS

we 81
A considerable part of my last
letter was taken up with former
Savannahians now respected and
very useful citizens of this Gulf
State. l spoke particularly of
Gainey and Ward and of the fami-
ly of the former. Since then | have
met iArs. Ward, a Creole lady, of
very refined appearance and
Catholic; ~ Creoles are of French
extraction and French are almost
always of the Western church. The
Wards at the "raduation of their
brother SamneI at Atlanta Univer.
sity in June last, paid Georgia a
visit on that occasion. Samuel
Ward is expected in the city soon
to begin his life work. What and
who are Creoles? This question
has for long time been puzzle
to me; for y'u know Creoles are
white and colored-and even in
many cases very black. My former
idea of the Creole proper imagined
them to be a product of French
and Indian nationality. A second
idea very soon after reached
Louisiana and had compared the
white Louisapians with the fair
mulattoes of Georgia. the former
losing by the comparison, imagined
all the Anglo Saxons, with very
few exceptions) of this State to oe
CreoleS, as there was so very much
of color in them and features not
very dissimilAr from Georgia mulat
toes of the first mixture, But you
can better imagine than by telling
you my surprise when was sitting
in church aud heard a distinguished
divine, whose color was only -
shade more somber than my coat
say Won remember that | am ii
Creole. Myself formed theories
were by that one sentence dashed
to the ground. give mp in utter
disgust my phIlosophIzing on what
is Creole"
Walking ont upon the levees |
accosted a fellow citizen of thor
onghly Hametic persuasion in the
very chAstest English | could com
mand and from the sleepy counte-
nance ut the person | addressed ]
had expected civil reply in tn,
wei known broken gihberiSh o
King james English. so long heard
aud connected with our race. This
person addressed communica ed my
sentiment 70 an elder and third
person who thereupon began such
a Earring and changing of the French
and Spanish tongues coupled with
such violent gestures that imag-
med these "Creoles" of the first
water and it might not be unwise
for the English speaker to quickly
pass on. From all of these c,rcum-
stances | conclude, and | think
rightly, "Creole" is native born
at this St te and who SpeakS the
French language regardless Of his
color or previous condition Cana,
the principal business our Bay
street, divides the city into two
parts, in one part French is almost
universally spoken. even little COL
ored boys walking along the street
Cor hanket, for that's the word side
walk are heard pleasantly chatting
away glibly in French. On the
other side oiCanal street English is
the tongue.
THE PEOPLE.
The population of this State
more than that of any other State
is exceedingly heterog neous and
New Orleans, like New York might
be called Cosmopolitan city, The
names of streets aud places and
customs, through the English pre-
d inmate, Yet run ia French
g oove. The city and the customs
crrtainly rem in true to the first
pattern. In these respects one is
c instantly reminded of The unwrt-
g customs and habits of the people
of q eatain whOaIthouyh cOnouer-